The Cult of Belial

"On the darkest nights, the moon glows red and a demon's smirk can be seen amidst its twisted light. Some say an Akuma followed Kraus and was imprisoned within it. Others claim a great warbeast of Azrael required an inescapable prison. Whatever the cause, its dark influence cannot be denied." -- Unknown

The Cult of Belial is an incredibly prolific cult that has had two separate incarnations in Valmasia's history. The cult was first headed by Lysander Falco after he witnessed a dozen stone titans falling from the sky aimed for the plains of Nostvale in the year 880AC. After combating these hulking foreign entities, the Falco found himself entranced by where these creatures had come from. Upon inspection, those that defended Nostvale found that these titans had cosmic energy to them, but that cosmic energy was undeniably warped in nature.Upon near obsessive research into these strange creatures, Lysander soon found that they were warped by a creature that existed within the moon: Belial, the Sealed God.

There are many arguments as to what Belial is exactly, but the consensus is solid: The entity appears to work for freedom. The main goal of the cult is to ultimately unseal Belial from the Moon, but... There may be a question to what intentions this creature may truly have.

The cult grew closer and closer to their goal of unsealing Belial, even managing to unseal thirteen Apostles of the demon within the moon. However, the Republic would soon close in on the Acolytes and wipe out many of them. Mere fragments of the original cult still exist.

A second coming of the cult came about in the 950s now led by a descendant of Lysander, Ariadne Hirano, and the cult is gaining just as much steam as it once had. It seems that people tend to hold on tight to the ideals of Belial... But the eventual fate of the Moon God is still hanging within the balance.

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In stark contrast to what some might originally perceive, the Cult of Belial is not wholly born of bloodshed and violence as its main tenants, instead, the main belief held among Cultists is the belief of Freedom. Belial asks that his followers be free and act of their own will, nothing more, nothing less, while it is agreed that Belial himself has preferences and directions he would guide his followers too, ultimately, it is up to the individual to choose and follow of their own decision. A truly dedicated Cultist might even stand against a tenant of Belial in the pursuit of being true to their desires and themselves.

However, this does not mean freedom from consequence. For instance, a Cultist might do such a thing, but they will also pay the price for it. By the same token, in freely choosing to follow Belial and surrender oneself to His will, his followers are rewarded and empowered by Him in turn, showing that he does not forsake those who remember Him. Ultimately, as long as a follower of Belial remains true to their desires, they will in turn, wind up doing Belial's will as he will reward them and guide them to further pleasures and release, unbound by the chains of reason or morality.

Rituals are highly integral to the cult and an important part of it, which is where the outsider's view of the Cult being obsessed with violence and suffering comes in. Emotions play a key part in Belial's ritual, with those caused by pain being the strongest resonating force. A sacrifice that does not feel is a sacrifice that has less power, so commonly those being sacrificed, or sometimes Cultists seeking Belial's wisdom will be inflicted with pain to draw forth emotions or passions. The main rituals would be the Oath Ritual, in which an initiate becomes an Acolyte through receiving Belial's mark upon their tongue, ensuring they cannot betray the secrets of the cult. Of course some are exempt from the Oath Ritual due to the circumstance in which they have joined the cult, for instance, the High Prophet and High Priestess are naturally exempt from it, due to it being unthinkable for them to betray the Cult.

Other Rituals include the mass scale ones to summon Apostles, which require heavy sacrifices, heated emotions, and plenty of chaos with the ritual at the center, drawing power from it to undo the bindings upon sleeping Apostles and bring them back to Eternia.

Make no mistake however, despite the talk of freedom, the Cult of Belial is not a benevolent group, and Belial's power has an insidious lure, ultimately drawing those ensnared by it to more and more despicable acts. And while the Cultists of Belial are to be free, there is no mention of what is to become of the freedoms of those who do not accept Belial's open arms. However, it is known that other religions bolster and support the Cult of Belial to some degree. The favorite's of the Dreamer, for example, have extended their hands out in order to aid in the demolition of the 'False Gods' they seek to humble, and Oscuri whom still praise Azrael have been known to give their support. The transition and state of the these varying religions is a tense setting, but they have managed to communicate and ensure the necessary work is completed.

Belial's Embrace is a palpable proof there is something foul within the silvery gleam above. Employing the same methodology as cosmic mana absorption, those who wield this power instead form a connection directly with the creature slumbering inside the moon's core, offering themselves in an initiation ritual. They take in the corrupt lunar essence at the consent of the moon demon, more given as the cultist partakes in the rituals outlined in the Acolyte tomes and carry out debauchery in the dark god's name with the ultimate goal of freeing him from the prison in the sky. What's typically blue lunar mana is twisted a sickly red in the form of a tainted cosmic aura.

Only by signing a conjured blood contract with an Apostle can a magi harness the full power of Belial's Embrace and manifest it at will. When manifested, the magi feels a euphoric madness, an addicting sense of power flow through them, and their desires are unleashed in full, shame and guilt completely gone. They lose themselves.

Marrowit - Known as the Midnight Apostle, Marrowit the Twelfth is a strange entity charged with the task of enacting fateful deceit. He is curiously known throughout Eternia's history for being the foremost of Belial's emissaries- not in power, or even influence, but rather as the most apt worker of diplomacy in the Sealed God's name. It is oft this strange creature's task to twist, corrupt and mislead humanity by any means into the plans of Belial. He is infamously persuasive and dangerously agreeable, regardless of whatever business he is pursuing with mortals...

Appearing as early as the second century, this Apostle has a likeness much like the Mimics themselves, or rather primordial creatures before them of a similar nature. Despite being a twisted spirit and a mere Avatar of Belial, Marrowit conjures a perpetual and prolific mass for himself to work as a false 'body', perceptible as a black tar he morphs to whatever form he wishes. Past cultists and ancient enemies of Marrowit, however, have noted a potent illusion magic about this slime- conveying there is some secret to this physical, ectoplasmic medium of the shade-hulk...

Despite taking a jarring form of bones-turned-slime with each summoning as a solid shadow of humanesque-shaped, corporeal darkness, Marrowit is always cited as having a profound influence over others- especially cultists, the sick of heart and those of sinful wills. His most dangerous powers are deceptions and comfort- through which he has led many would-be great men to utter damnations, doomed to become monsters of their former selves, all for the Sealed God's glory... or amusement.

Primarily, Marrowit's task is to act as Belial's diplomat and messenger. Secondarily, however, his task is to seduce souls into a forever-sleep within the Moon Prison whereupon they will suffer the Nightmare for eternity... but for what ends he pursues this are unknown.

An irregularity of Marrowit among the Apostles is that he is incredibly easy to attain Symbiosis with; many symbiotes of Marrowit have existed, though it's ill-rumored a decay of sorts is entailed for those who embrace the Warden of the Nightmare. In exchange, however, Marrowit is also known to endow those who seek his black communion with frightfully potent Illusion magic born of his own powers over the mortal psyche and the immortal Nightmare.